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T M C » P U L S E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 35 it grew from there." The following year, they estab- lished the Accademia di Gagliato delle Nanoscienze (The Academy of Gagliato of NanoSciences), a nonprofit dedicated to organizing future meetings and activities with the support of private sponsorships and public grants, with Paola serv- ing as president. The annual gathering expanded and came to include a town-wide event in the piazza. A junior version of the conference, NanoPiccola, was added to the list of events as well, to engage local schoolchildren in STEM [science, technology, engi- neering and mathematics] educa- tion through hands-on experiments. Maria Antonia Cutruzzola, a second-year molecular biology stu- dent at the University of Calabria in Consenza, grew up in Gagliato and has been attending NanoGagliato since she was 11. She plans to become a research scientist, much like the ones who have inspired her at the conference, in hopes of one day curing cancer. "I saw the experiments [at NanoGagliato] and I was like, 'Wow, this is fantastic!' I was so excited, so in love with science after that," Cutruzzola, 20, said. "If I can con- tribute in my little way for a better world, like doing research to cure some illness, I want to do that." But her parents struggled with the idea. Cutruzzola would be the first in her family to get a degree, and her parents worried that college in the big city wasn't a suitable place for girls. Determined to help Cutruzzola succeed, the Ferraris and other NanoGagliato guests met with her parents. "[We] went there and spent a few hours and then a few hours again and a few hours again to try to convince them," Ferrari said. "If she had been a boy, it would have been different, but she's a girl. … It was a huge cultural step." The addition of this year's Equality Moonshot Roundtable— which focused on closing the gender gap in STEM, innovation and economic wealth—sent a powerful message that resonated with Cutruzzola. "Strong women and gender equality are what young people need. It is what kids need. Little girls, they don't all want to be hair- dressers," Cutruzzola said. "They want to have powerful role models and a lot of role models to pick from to be whatever they want to be. " Keep showing up NanoGagliato has grown since its inception a decade ago, and the town has evolved along with it. Despite some initial apprehension toward the Ferraris and their guests, Gagliato now embraces the family and its signature event. The slight increase in tourism and activities from the confer- ence has led to a revitalization of the area's microeconomy. A 2016 "Global Report on Culture for Sustainable Urban Development," published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, identified Gagliato as a place where culture has played a role in realizing sustainable local development. "I thought about what kind of commitment we were taking on. It turns out, if you start doing this, you have to see it through to success," Mauro Ferrari said. "The only way to do that is to keep showing up, keep doing the right thing and be friends with everybody." Recently, the Accademia di Gagliato delle Nanoscienze submit- ted a $1.5 million grant to estab- lish Gagliato as a STEM learning destination. The grant would allow the organization to complete plans to renovate a neglected building and turn it into the headquarters for NanoPiccola. The building would also serve as a civic center and a STEM and English preschool for local children. "Good things happen when you put good people together," Paola Ferrari said. "It's the gift that keeps on giving." San José Clinic's mission is to provide quality healthcare and education to those with limited access to such services in an environment that respects the dignity of each person. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, an institution of the Texas Medical Center, a United Way agency and a ministry of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Bridging the Gap Closing Cultural Barriers in Access to Care featuring, from the University of Houston College of Medicine, Stephen J. 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